“The cuddling before bed began to fizzle with my first pregnancy. The body pillow I used for my sciatica nerve and pelvic pain placed a physical wedge between us. Looking back, it’s like that pillow was a foreboding metaphor foreshadowing how our relationship would change when we became parents.”

“While we were both eager to be good parents, we focused all of our attention on meeting Everson’s needs and just surviving each day. Our marriage was being put on the back burner and our conflicts were frequent. We were both wrapped up in our own frustrations and hurts and we were doing little to reach out to one another for reconciliation.”

“I was in pain (as was Nick) and my brain was going haywire trying to silence or resolve the pain. It’s a common coping mechanism for humans. We have a headache, so we reach for Tylenol. Our high heel shoes hurt, so we stop wearing them. In my case, my marriage felt miserable and I didn’t know how to make it any better, so I kept being drawn to this “what if” fantasy of life without marriage.”